Which Southern Ocean Species Are You?
Take our World Penguin Day quiz to find out—and learn why this region needs greater protection
Here at The Pew Charitable Trusts, we are all about science. So to celebrate World Penguin Day on April 25, we’re going to spread the penguin love—and science—to some of the other species that play critical roles in the Southern Ocean ecosystem.
Take our quiz below to learn if you’re most like an emperor penguin, leopard seal, colossal squid, killer whale, or Antarctic krill. These are just five of the thousands of species that are essential to a balanced and healthy Southern Ocean. Without further ado, to the quiz!
# quiztype: personality
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# social text incomplete: Which Southern Ocean Species Are You?
# social text complete: Which Southern Ocean Species Are You?
# _imgurl : https://www.pewtrusts.org/-/media/data-visualizations/interactives/2020/penguin-day-2020/
? If I had a passport … (!img[Rebecca Yale]({_imgurl}PenguinDay2020_Q1.jpg) /!)
+{Orca} It would have stamps from my family travels around the world.
+{Emperor Penguin} I wouldn’t use it much; I prefer staycations.
+{Krill} The stamps wouldn’t tell half the story.
+{Colossal Squid} Moot question! I’d never even apply for a passport.
+{Leopard Seal} It would get some use, but only on solo trips.
? I most like to spend time with ... (!img[]({_imgurl}PenguinDay2020_Q2.jpg) /!)
+{Emperor Penguin} My children are my all.
+{Krill} I am super social—I want everyone together all the time!
+{Colossal Squid} I don’t kiss and tell.
+{Leopard Seal} I prefer my own company.
+{Orca} My family means everything to me.
? If I am faced with a challenge … (!img[iStockphoto]({_imgurl}PenguinDay2020_Q3.jpg) /!)
+{Krill} Through feast or famine, I can adapt.
+{Colossal Squid} I disappear/retreat.
+{Leopard Seal} I never lose control.
+{Orca} I am a problem-solver.
+{Emperor Penguin} I talk it out.
? If the Southern Ocean were a corporation, I would be … (!img[Kevin Schafer]({_imgurl}PenguinDay2020_Q4.jpg) /!)
+{Colossal Squid} The silent partner.
+{Leopard Seal} A lone-wolf entrepreneur.
+{Orca} The CEO.
+{Emperor Penguin} One of the drones. We might all look alike, but we do vital work!
+{Krill} The glue that holds everything together.
? When it comes to fashion … (!img[Paul Souders]({_imgurl}PenguinDay2020_Q5.jpg) /!)
+{Leopard Seal} I prefer prints.
+{Orca} Eyewear and outerwear are important to me.
+{Emperor Penguin} I prefer a classic wardrobe.
+{Krill} I like flashy colors.
+{Colossal Squid} I’m huge on accessories and glow-in-the-dark fashions.
~ {Orca} (!img[wildestanimal]({_imgurl}PenguinDay2020_R1.jpg) /!)
/ You are an orca, aka killer whale! You swim thousands of miles with your tight-knit, matriarchal, multigenerational family group. You are sophisticated, and your culture has passed down through the generations. In the Southern Ocean, you hunt with your family for seals, penguins, and fish and dominate the ecosystem: You have no natural predators.
/ However, climate change and concentrated fishing are threatening the biodiversity and balance of the Southern Ocean, and in turn could lead to a bleak future for orcas. To counter those threats, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), an international body charged with overseeing conservation activities in the Southern Ocean, should make good on its promise to create a network of marine protected areas (MPAs), which are proven to help ecosystems and species build resilience to the impacts of climate change by conserving biodiversity and eliminating stresses such as fishing.
/ At its annual meeting this October, CCAMLR can take the largest protection action in history and designate MPAs in East Antarctica, the Weddell Sea, and the Antarctic Peninsula, which would safeguard nearly 4 million square kilometers of the Southern Ocean.
~ {Emperor Penguin} (!img[Laurent Ballesta/Andromède Oceanology]({_imgurl}PenguinDay2020_R2.jpg) /!)
/ You are an emperor penguin! You thrive in extreme cold, raise your sole chick on sea ice in the Antarctic winter with your partner, and often trek up to 120 kilometers to reach open water to find food. Although awkward on land, you’re a graceful and powerful swimmer who can dive as deep as 565 meters and stay submerged for upward of 20 minutes!
/ Although scientists say climate change could kill up to 81% of the members of some emperor colonies by the end of the century, these tough birds may be able to establish themselves in new locations.
To help ensure a sustainable future for all penguins in Antarctica, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), an international body charged with overseeing conservation activities in the Southern Ocean, should make good on its promise to create a network of marine protected areas (MPAs), which are proven to help ecosystems and species build resilience to the impacts of climate change by conserving biodiversity and eliminating stresses such as fishing.
/ At its annual meeting this October, CCAMLR can take the largest protection action in history and designate MPAs in East Antarctica, the Weddell Sea, and the Antarctic Peninsula, which would safeguard nearly 4 million square kilometers of the Southern Ocean.
~ {Krill} (!img[Education Images]({_imgurl}PenguinDay2020_R3.jpg) /!)
/ You are an Antarctic krill! Swimming slowly but far and conveying carbon from the surface to deep waters, you love company, hanging out in great swarms so large they can be seen from outer space. With a 2.5-inch-long translucent body that can shrink or grow throughout your life, you flush red when stressed, go green after eating algae, and can even glow with bioluminescence from an organ at the base of your eyestalks! You are the keystone species of the Southern Ocean; without you, this remarkable ecosystem would collapse.
/ Antarctic krill—like the rest of the Southern Ocean’s unique biodiversity—are threatened by concentrated fishing and climate change. To counter those threats and help ensure a sustainable future for all Antarctic wildlife, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), an international body charged with overseeing conservation activities in the Southern Ocean, should make good on its promise to create a network of marine protected areas (MPAs), which are proven to help ecosystems and species build resilience to the impacts of climate change by conserving biodiversity and eliminating stresses such as fishing.
/ At its annual meeting this October, CCAMLR can take the largest protection action in history and designate MPAs in East Antarctica, the Weddell Sea, and the Antarctic Peninsula, which would safeguard nearly 4 million square kilometers of the Southern Ocean.
~ {Colossal Squid} (!img[Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa]({_imgurl}PenguinDay2020_R4.jpg) /!)
/ You are a colossal squid! You’re extremely mysterious; no one knows much about you, other than the fact that you’re found most often in the Southern Ocean and spend most of your time thousands of meters below the surface. Scientists believe you can grow to 10 meters long and that you hunt by ambush, using bioluminescence to attract your prey—toothfish and other squid—and devouring it using your hooked tentacles and powerful beak.
/ Colossal squid—like the rest of the Southern Ocean’s unique biodiversity—are part of complex ecosystems that are threatened by concentrated fishing and climate change. To counter those threats, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), an international body charged with overseeing conservation activities in the Southern Ocean, should make good on its promise to create a network of marine protected areas (MPAs), which are proven to help ecosystems and species build resilience to the impacts of climate change by conserving biodiversity and eliminating stresses such as fishing.
/ At its annual meeting this October, CCAMLR can take the largest protection action in history and designate MPAs in East Antarctica, the Weddell Sea, and the Antarctic Peninsula, which would safeguard nearly 4 million square kilometers of the Southern Ocean.
~ {Leopard Seal} (!img[Michael Nolan]({_imgurl}PenguinDay2020_R5.jpg) /!)
/ You are a leopard seal! You are the top predator in the Southern Ocean, growing to 10 feet long and more than 750 pounds and perfectly adapted to hunting fleet-flippered penguins. You have a spotted coat that gives you your name and feline eyes. You are very vocal—scientists have recorded you singing and believe this might be part of your courtship ritual.
/Leopard seals in Antarctica—like the rest of the Southern Ocean’s unique biodiversity—are part of complex ecosystems that are threatened by concentrated fishing and climate change. To counter those threats, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), an international body charged with overseeing conservation activities in the Southern Ocean, should make good on its promise to create a network of marine protected areas (MPAs), which are proven to help ecosystems and species build resilience to the impacts of climate change by conserving biodiversity and eliminating stresses such as fishing.
/ At its annual meeting this October, CCAMLR can take the largest protection action in history and designate MPAs in East Antarctica, the Weddell Sea, and the Antarctic Peninsula, which would safeguard nearly 4 million square kilometers of the Southern Ocean.